Self Clean my Aircon. Which vents?

[Evo]

Hi. So I have a musty smell from my aircon Polo 6c GTI . Changed the filter. But would love to give it a Dettol glen blast.
Upon looking at the air intakes. There seems to be a center and 2 side vents. Which one is the external air feed? And how do I find the evaporater for a clean? Cheers guys.

[RUM4MO]

I think the plan should be to set off a "bomb" inside your car, I'd think that you can buy them at most car parts outlets, the plan is, get the car running, set the AC running on recirc, place the bomb on the floor maybe behind the driver's seat, set it off, close doors and leave it for X minutes - job done.

These bombs are AC sanitisers so should kill off any bugs living in the cold wet parts of the system, typically the evaporator area.

Edit:- any AC cleaner will have proper instructions on its container.

[wolfie]

I think some of them recommend that you remove the pollen filter and either replace it after or even fit a new one. They normally go in a footwell as they discharge and it can leave residue on seat and fabric. It's a good idea to cover the seat closest with a towel or sheet to save having to clean it off later. (I don't know why I didn't think the pollen filter was in the airflow when on recycle, but I may be wrong?)

As above the instructions do vary slightly from on manufacturer to another. I think Eurocarparts do one for around £15 ish.


I have a Normfest Viro ready to give mine a go at some point over the summer.

[RUM4MO]

I used a Normfest Viro one from ECP, a very small one, tried it out on my wife's Polo first in case it made a mess, it was okay, but I'd suggest maybe placing a newspaper under it as it can spit quite a bit locally while spraying a mist.

I think that some of the older types were prone to send white dust around the car, but not the small Normfest one, I seem to think that I bought 3 for £15 when on special offer, 1 used on 1 car, 2 left for 2 cars.

Edit:- when I used one in my wife's Polo, it was only as a maintenance task as that car did not have any nasty smells due to the AC being used "grudgingly" (if I have anything to do with it!) and the chiller disabled about 5 miles from home to allow warm outside air to heat the evaporator area back up and dry it off to minimise bugs growing in there!

The version that I bought, was Normfest Viro One Shot Plus - though maybe that has been replaced with a newer/better version.

Anther Edit:- ECP are still selling that one, for £4.61 this weekend!

[Evo]

Thanks for the info Guys. I ended up pulling the rubber trim off where the bonnet meets the windshield grill. And then pried up the grill to find the air intake was on the passenger side. I emptied a whole can of Aussie dettol spray with the cabin filter removed and the interior vents closed with the A/C on Lo and full fan speed. After the can was depleted I left the ac running for a further 10 mins. Refitted the new filter. And bam all smells gone and smells like new. I’ll definitely grab one of the bombs for the extra mile. I don’t think we have the ones recommend over in Australia. But the is a German branded one I saw recently and local.

I ran into this problem because I constantly have the ac running and never shut it off. Leading to the ac ducts holding moisture. Now I turn ac off 5 mins before my destination.

[veteran]

I ended up pulling the rubber trim off where the bonnet meets the windshield grille.

I find that surprising, as not only is the top portion of that grille normally bonded to the base of the windscreen and therefore is all but impossible to prise up without cracking the grille itself or the windscreen, but also the chamber to which it gives access (the same chamber as accommodates the windscreen-wiper motor, if we're truly talking about the same part of the car) is the collecting and dispersal point for all rainwater coming off the roof and windscreen. Unless the fresh-air intake has been organised to be well above any flood level of that chamber, it'd seem to be a daft place to site such a thing.

It's a pity you didn't take some pictures of what you did to gain access.

I presume by "rubber trim" you mean the push-on piece of thick rubber trim on the most-forward edge of that grille, the piece of trim that you only see with the bonnet raised? Normally, the windscreen-wipers themselves have to be taken off before you can fully remove, or even prise open sufficiently, that grille. At least, that's what I've found; I've been trying to open up that chamber for other reasons. But it now sounds as though it needs to actually be done regularly, in order to wash out bugs that grow in the air intake.

[Evo]

Yes the chunky rubber trim I pulled off. And then Wedged up the Edge where the rubber covered with a sanding block. Given enough acces for me to spray into the vent intake. Yeah I never would of been able to remove the grill.

So I decided to contact VW. And have booked in for an ozone treatment and the anti-bacterial treatment for $70.

[veteran]

Yes the chunky rubber trim I pulled off. And then wedged up the edge where the rubber covered with a sanding block. Given enough access for me to spray into the vent intake.

Yup, when trying to get some access to the w/wiper motor and associated pantagraphic linkages, that's exactly what I had to do. I didn't try wedging open the passenger end, though. I guess if I had, I'd have possibly spotted the air intake, the subject of your troubles.

You mention you've now booked your vehicle in to VW for what appears to be a comprehensive duct-cleaning operation. Maybe you should in due course find out from them exactly their procedure. Do they, for example, tackle the disinfecting exercise at any point in the procedure by removing that below-the-windscreen grille? As far as the interior of the car goes, do they do any more than you or I would do, with say a 'bomb'?